RussBus breaks ground on housingNot even a month ago, a local organization geared towards assisting the homeless transition to supporting themselves and a household received clearance to build two transitional living facilities, or what they call "comprehensive housing facilities." Fred Teague, who co-founded The Russ Bus, said he has dreamed for two years of the day they would break ground on their idea of a comprehensive housing facility. "It's just amazing to be able to s...

Hector Fest 2016 is todayHECTOR -- At least 10 bands will provide live entertainment during the first Hector Fest 2016, which will take place from 4-10 p.m. today at Cecil Riley Memorial Park. Admission for everybody is free. The Hector City Council authorized the use of city facilities for the festival during its last regular meeting. Aldermen learned from Mayor John Riley that local Jason Waterson came up with the idea when he supervised the musical entertainment at...

by
BY SEAN INGRAM
sean@couriernews.comThe Courier Your Messenger For The River Valley

Report: U.S. added 255,000 jobs in JulyWASHINGTON -- Years of steady job gains have finally begun to benefit a wider range of Americans, including those with less education and in lower-paying jobs. A second straight month of robust hiring -- 255,000 jobs added in July -- pointed to employer confidence that suggested that the economy is powering through a slump that struck early this year. The unemployment rate remained a low 4.9 percent, the Labor Department said Friday. Hiring ha...

Local business celebrates new ownershipTHE COURIER / Submitted Razorback Tanning and More celebrated their new ownership with a ribbon cutting. They are located at 2621 West Main Street, Suite 9 and can be reached at 479-967-8787 for more information about their services and products.

2016 Arkansas Tax Holiday exempt itemsArkansas will hold its annual sales tax holiday beginning today and ending Sunday, August 7, 2016 at 11:59 p.m. State and local sales tax will not be collected during this 48-hour period on the sale of: (1) Clothing and footwear if the sales price is less than one hundred dollars ($100) per item; (2) Clothing accessories and equipment if the sales price is less than fifty dollars ($50) per item; (3) School supplies; (4) School art supplies; an...

Mayor of Bradley steps downBRADLEY -- The mayor of Bradley in south Lafayette County has announced her resignation. The Texarkana Gazette reports that Alice Carlson made the announcement Thursday. Her resignation was effective immediately. Carlson says she can no longer serve effectively and productively as mayor under the current hostile political environment. She says she isn't resigning under any pressure from the City Council or due to any wrongdoing. Bradley has a ...

Lottery Scholarship to benefit from record salesLITTLE ROCK -- The Arkansas Scholarship Lottery saw record breaking sales in several categories and a major increase in funding for college scholarships during the 2016 fiscal year, according to a report released Monday to the Legislature Lottery Oversight Committee. Total sales for fiscal 2016 were $455.6 million, a gain of 11.5 percent over fiscal 2015. Net proceeds available for scholarships were $85.4 million for the twelve months ending J...

US trade deficit hits $44.5 billion, biggest in 10 months WASHINGTON — The U.S. trade deficit increased to the highest point in 10 months, driven up by a big rise in imports of oil and Chinese-made computers, cell phones and clothing. The deficit rose to $44.5 billion in June, 8.7 percent higher than a revised May deficit of $41 billion, the Commerce Department reported Friday. It was the biggest gap between what America sells abroad and what the country imports since a $44.6 billion deficit last Aug...

Guess what happened next: Facebook battles 'clickbait' NEW YORK — Facebook is taking another stab at ridding users' news feeds of "clickbait," the links and headlines that ask readers to "guess what happened next" but don't provide any useful information, tempting people to click if they want to find out anything. The world's largest social media company last tried this in 2014, when it announced that it was improving users' news feed to help them find what was "interesting and relevant" and weed ...

Businesses honor '16 Tax Free WeekendThis weekend is the annual tax free weekend for the state of Arkansas. Clothing, clothing accessories and school supplies are just a few of the products exempt from state tax this weekend. However, the holiday isn't reserved for back-to-school kids alone. "People need to realize it's not just kids' clothing; it's all accessories and clothing," said Gail Anthes, store manager for Leflers at Russellville City Mall. "Makeup is also included, up t...

Committee favors new compensation planThe Russellville City Council's Personnel Committee voted during a called meeting Wednesday afternoon to approve a new deferred compensation plan for city employees and filled a soon-to-be vacancy in District Court. Human Resources Director Tanessa Vaughn told commissioners Garland Steuber, Larry Brown, Richard Harris and Eric Westcott that she had employees ask her about the Diamond Plan deferred compensation since March. About a dozen employ...

by
BY SEAN INGRAM
sean@couriernews.comThe Courier Your Messenger For The River Valley

1st half of 2016 blows away temp recordsThe first half of 2016 has blown away temperature records, capped off by a record hot June, once again bumping up the odds that 2016 will be the hottest year on record globally, according to data recently released. The monthly numbers from NASA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration puts the planet on track to surpass 2015 as the hottest on record. "2016 has really blown that out of the water," Gavin Schmidt, the director of N...

Restoration Worship Center to host Rev. CaldwellRev. Randy Caldwell will be at Restoration Worship Center, 2349 South Elmira Ave., Russellville, Sunday for the 10 a.m. and 5:30 p.m. service. Pastor James Findley invites the public to come and join us. Dr. Caldwell's style has been described as a unique mix of humor and high energy presentation which is like none other. His fresh revelation of the Kingdom will challenge what you have been taught and inspire you to expand your thinking of the...

Woman arrested after passing out in standNatalie V. Oswald, 31, was arrested on Tuesday after authorities allegedly found her passed out inside the concession stand at McLaren Park in Atkins. District Judge Don Bourne found probable cause to hold her on charges of breaking and entering and criminal mischief during felony bond hearings on Wednesday inside the Pope County Detention Center. Her bond was set at $5,000. According to the police report narrative, officers found the "roll up...

by
BY TRAVIS SIMPSON
simpson@couriernews.comThe Courier Your Messenger For The River Valley

Misuse the name of the Lord"You shall not misuse the name of the Lord your God, for the Lord will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses his name" (Exod. 20:7). "The importance of the decalogue can hardly be overstated," I observed on another occasion. "The rabbis emphasized its supreme importance in virtually every connection. They speculated that it was prepared on the eve of creation in anticipation of subsequent use; they asserted that as each commandment was sounded...

Community people: Browns Catfish InnTHE COURIER / Submitted Browns Catfish Inn recently donated 24 box fans to the Salvation Army for people who needed them. The owner, Alvin Brown, and people at Browns Catfish Inn have been able to help families beat the heat. Pictured from left to right are employees Debbie Meyer and Elisha Baughman.